I know that ranch dressing is arguably not in the realm of Real Food 101 for everyone reading here. But oh my it certainly does hit the spot for anyone who grew up in my family. We used to put ranch dressing on everything! It wasn’t just for fries, it was also for salads, meats, veggies, and anything else savory. The problem: we were eating bottled salad dressing or dressing from restaurants when we were out.
Growing up, the only less-offensive version of Ranch dressing was when we would buy the ranch flavoring packets and at least make our own from mayonnaise and sour cream at home. But that isn’t much better since the packets contain MSG, the mayonnaise had industrial waste oils in it, and we used to buy fat free sour cream. It is memories like this that make me feel so grateful that I started embracing whole foods. To top it all off, I learned that fats are nourishing and healthy.
I like to use ranch dressing for salads of course, but it is also amazing as a dip for vegetables, these GAPS fried cheese sticks, or chicken strips. You can also use it as a spread on sandwiches, it gives a really great herbed flavor. I have also drizzled it over any cooked vegetable I have at dinner, like my riff on this recipe for sauteed brussel sprouts, bacon, and pecans.
Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
1 cup homemade mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream (find grass-fed dairy here; buy culture starters here)
1/2 cup buttermilk (find grass-fed dairy here; buy culture starters here)
juice of one lemon
large handful chopped fresh parsley
large handful chopped fresh dill
large handful chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon onion powder (buy organic spices here)
1 teaspoon garlic powder (buy organic spices here)
sea salt to taste (buy various natural sea salts here)
pepper to taste (buy organic peppers here)
- In a large bowl whisk mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk, and lemon together until smooth. Add chopped parsley, dill, chives, onion powder, and garlic powder and whisk together. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve!
This post is a part of Sunday School, Weekend Gourmet, Monday Mania, Fat Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Traditional Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday, Healthy2day Wednesday, The Mommy Club, Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Full Plate Thursday, Fight Back Friday, and Fresh Bites Friday.
Thanks for linking your great post to FAT TUESDAY. This was very interesting! Hope to see you next week!
Be sure to visit RealFoodForager.com on Sunday for Sunday Snippets – your post from Fat Tuesday may be featured there!
http://realfoodforager.com/2011/12/fat-tuesday-december-20-2011/
Quick question for you – I’ve always wondered this and never asked! When you say a handful of chopped herbs, are you talking a handful before you chop it or after? It makes a big difference and I’ve never known what people meant when they say that in recipes!
Thank you so much! I will be making this this week!
That’s a good question! I actually err on the side of more herbs than fewer. So a big handful before chopping would probably still yield a decent-sized handful chopped for me (maybe 1/3 cup?)
according to most cookbooks, if a recipe says “1 cup chopped pecans” chop first then measure. If it says “1 cup pecans, chopped” measure first then chop. Hope this helps.
I’ve been on the hunt for a great ranch dressing recipe….and I can’t wait to try this one!
Hi Kendahl,
I just love a good homemade dressing and your Buttermilk dressing just looks perfect. I am going to make your dressing for Christmas Dinner. Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday. I am wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas!
Come Back Soon,
Miz Helen
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Yay! Thank you so much! My husband is addicted to Ranch dressing… I think at one point he went through a bottle a week all by himself. I’ve been looking for a good real food recipe to try out on him and yours looks scrumptious!
Thank you! And yes, from one Ranch dressing addict to another: this one is so yummy! I don’t crave any other kinds when I have this on hand (though it doesn’t usually last long!)
I make a recipe very like this at least once a week. My toddler will eat ANY vegetable provided he has this stuff to dip it in!
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I made this and it was SO GOOD!! How long will it usually last in the fridge?
I would say about a week or so. I’m not sure, because ours only lasts about that long in the fridge before it’s all eaten!!
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I pinned this! We love ranch and this recipe sounds yummy! Thank you for sharing!
Awesome! I love this one
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